We spent the whole day at Isabela Island, located in the western part of the archipelago. In the morning, we went out for a hike at Urbina Bay. This visitor site is of recent formation. The upheaval just occurred in 1954, and the place thrives with wildlife. It is home for several species of Darwin’s finches, the Galapagos hawk, and Galapagos land iguanas. Sometimes, Alcedo giant tortoises visit this site, too. The tortoises were numerous this morning, and it was a delight to see them walking along the trails. In the afternoon, we visited the historical site Tagus Cove. Once a place to drop anchor and look for water and food, it is now a great place to kayak and paddleboard. It was fantastic, and we enjoyed every minute. The highlight was to be so close to a huge manta ray. Snorkelers were able to enjoy that, too, and we finished the day with an invigorating hike to the top of the cone and a great Zodiac ride to observe Galapagos penguins! What a fantastic day!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 21 Jun 2022
Isabela Island, 6/21/2022, National Geographic Endeavour II
- Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II
- Galápagos
Vanessa Gallo, Naturalist
Vanessa Gallo’s grandparents arrived in the Galápagos Islands in 1936, making her the third generation of her family to live and work in this magical archipelago. She left the islands for the capital city of Quito for high school, where she discovere...
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Exploring Galápagos
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We began our day with a very active snorkeling excursion, where some of our snorkelers saw several whitetip reef sharks, a few sea lions, and fish of all kinds. We also kayaked and went paddleboarding. The geological formations are impressive here, such as the world-famous praying monk that captured our attention while on a Zodiac ride. If that wasn’t enough, we had a few rounds of glass bottom boat rides, a fabulous tool that allows us to have a clear view of the fish, and especially those sharks. Soon after lunch, we had an adventurous wet landing on Puerto Egas, with its black sandy beach that we had all to ourselves. We walked along the shore and intertidal pools of Santiago with sightings of marine iguanas, sea lions, shore birds, and Galapagos fur seals. After cocktail hour and a fun recap, we enjoyed a barbeque dinner on the top deck.
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Isabela Island
Isabela is the largest island in Galapagos and today we had the opportunity to explore Elizabeth Bay and Punta Moreno. These two visitor sites are very close but very different from one another. Elizabeth Bay is covered with black lava and a mangrove forest, which becomes a perfect shelter for many species. The bay is home to flamingos, brown pelicans, and white-cheeked pintail ducks. This combination is a good reflection of the colonization of flora and fauna of the Galapagos.